


An Empty Wallet Doesn't Seem Half Bad

by DoctorFitzy (KittooningMalijah)



Series: webseries au [8]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Webseries AU, actual dadcliffe is implied, drag me fam, fake names are not original, fictional dadcliffe is implied, fitzskye is low key and can be read as platonic, my references are not subtle, this is what happens when i'm allowed to have power, youtubers au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-20
Updated: 2017-03-20
Packaged: 2018-10-08 11:31:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10385715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittooningMalijah/pseuds/DoctorFitzy
Summary: Who knew a doctorate in engineering would get him an in with internet entertainment? Or maybe that was the bonus, and he was just excited to meet a pretty actress in person.





	

**Author's Note:**

> prompt: met online AU + FitzSkye
> 
> this fic is set about a year and a half before the rest of the fics in this series

          Leo was used to being the one who checked their emails after work, reading them aloud to Jemma from the couch while she did research on her own laptop at the kitchen counter to prep for the next week's video. He was used to the quiet routine that came with knowing exactly what to expect from an afternoon and knowing that their routine very rarely changed, and he didn't really want their lives to _ever_  change. The way things were was _nice_ , and the idea of them changing, to any extent, was too scary to linger on for too long.

          If he really wanted to be afraid of something, he'd go skydiving or swimming with dolphins or something equally as crazy. Going from their usual routine of sitting on their laptops for an hour before Netflix and a hot dinner to anything else didn't even need to be an option.

          "We got the usual fifteen comments asking how drunk we were when we came up with this idea - should I respond this time or just leave them wondering?"

          "Let them wonder. It's none of their business, anyway."

          There were a series of clicks that signaled his roommate's descent into an article in the hidden depths of some science journal's website, and he simply deleted the emails at her suggestion. It was quiet again while he scrolled through the various messages, quickly marking the box next to anything that looked like spam or hatemail and deleting it - that alone took out almost a quarter of their remaining comments, and the Scot clicked on a random email in the middle of the list before reading it out loud. " _Great show, as always. Keep up the good work._ Hey, do you think Phil knows that we know he's _CaptAmericaFan_  or is our landlord blissfully ignorant? I have nothing against him, really, but he leaves the _exact_  same comment every week, and he's not even subtle about it."

          After a moment of quiet, the cushion next to him sank with her weight, and he could feel Jemma's head resting on his shoulder so that she could look at the screen with him. "He means well, Leo, and it's not hurting anything. Besides, we get plenty of viewers who make repetitive comments, and if Phil wants to add to those numbers, that's fine by me."

          He let out a grunt in response when she pressed a kiss to his cheek, going back to his scrolling with a pout and stopping when one of the emails weren't quite like the others. Most of them where notifications about a comment or someone giving their video a thumbs up, but one of them was different. One of them was an _email_ , directly from a name he recognized as the group who did one of their favorite web dramas that they were waiting for another season of, and based on what he could see of the message, it definitely wasn't hatemail.

          "Hey, Jem? You might want to take a look at this - _Fitzsimmons, this is Skye from the Teen Agents Inc. team, and I have a few questions regarding the science that would be required for a villain in our next season to do what he does. If you could shoot me a message at your convenience, that would be super helpful!_ "

          Silence took over the apartment for a long moment before Jemma hurried back over to the couch, leaning into his personal space so that she could see the message. Skye played the lead character on the web show they'd watched at least four times - Daisy Johnson, high school student by day, secret agent by night - and the fact that the show's team was seeking _them_  out for help seemed unbelievable at best, and it all seemed like a dream.

          By the time the English scientist beside him spoke, he was already trying to make his hand move so that he could do exactly as she was trying to tell him to do. "What are you waiting for, Leopold Fitz, _message her back!_ " If they were going to take advantage of this opportunity and help out the people they'd been watching for almost a year and a half, they needed to jump on it before it slipped away from them. If they acted quickly enough and were good enough at knowing the information they'd potentially spent years getting doctorates in, they could file it away as being part of one of the most inventive web shows of the decade. "I have to put together the official plan for the next video, but you _need_ totell me as soon as she messages back."

* * *

          They spent almost a month emailing back and forth with Skye about the broader ideas of the villain's plans and, between work and weekly videos of their own, they researched some more of the finer details that she might need to know if she had any specific questions during the video chat they'd set up a time for as soon as she had a free weekend. That was the reason they were both settled on the couch on Sunday afternoon instead of trying to get everything together for their work week, but they were far too excited to care about something like that when it could always be put off for a few hours.

          As soon as the Skype call went through, Leo instinctively sat up straighter and leaned forward in his seat so that he could grab his book of notes from the table before settling in comfortably next to his English roommate again. "Hey! Would it be completely rude of me to ask if you could tell us anything about the next season _besides_ what the villain is up to?"

          " _Leo_!" The scolding he got from Jemma came with a playful hit to his arm, and he didn't have to look over to know that she was shaking her head at him. "You don't have to tell us anything you don't want to. I promise he's not being serious."

          There was a laugh over the connection, and they both looked back at the screen in time to see the other woman's wide grin. " _Don't worry about it. People at school ask about it all the time, but no one except the team knows anything - you guys are the exception, but you're basically part of the team at this point. I'm sure you'll find out a bit more today while we talk, and then you'll know enough that you might even be able to join us in writing one of these episodes._ "

          He was sure he was going to start vibrating if he wasn't careful. The vast majority of the show's viewers had some kind of crush on Daisy Johnson and Leo himself wasn't an exception - he was also one of the people in the only slightly smaller group of people who were a little bit attracted to Skye herself. And why wouldn't he be? She was a high school senior who was acting as the lead in one of the most popular web shows out there - she literally won awards for her performance, and was still somehow still so down to earth, and keeping up with school... before he went to university, he couldn't even balance school and a social life, and Jemma was the only exception to that when he moved to a different country to get his degree.

          Though he'd never admit it out loud, to _anyone,_ he was potentially talking to his dream girl, about robotics. _His field_. It was the greatest moment of his life, and he was barely twenty years old. He made a mental note to write it down or record it somewhere so that he'd never forget that it had happened.

          "Wait, really? Do we find out where Daisy's parents have been all these years? What about the rumors about there being a leak within the corporation? Is anyone on the team actually a traitor? Is it Agent Sparks? He always gave me a bad feeling."

          He could _feel_ the waves of annoyance coming off of Jemma while she rolled her eyes, and the voice from the computer on the table in front of them cut in again. " _Okay, you won't know spoilers that big, but I can tell you that the villain this season isn't the only new character we're adding. There's a new agent working with Daisy and Mitchell. He's a scientist - an engineer, actually. He's... based on you, Leo... because you're kind of amazing. We'll have to keep in touch so Trip and I can pick your brain when we start writing him._ "

          Leo could feel himself grin, but he didn't quite register that the giddy sound that reached his ears a moment later was his own laugh, and then his own voice. "Did you hear that, Jemma? She thinks I'm amazing. _Skye_ thinks _I'm_ amazing." He laughed again, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth when the last minute and a half of his life actually processed and he realized how ridiculous he must seem. Despite all of his best efforts, he was being a complete fanboy, and he'd be much more ashamed of himself if he wasn't so _excited_. The girl of his dreams thought he was amazing - how could his day get any better?

          "Okay, deep breaths. It's very exciting, I know."

          With Jemma reaching over to pat his arm while shaking her head at him, he tried to keep himself from getting too excited all over again - especially when he had no real reason to be _that_ excited at all. So, she thought he was cool, so what? Plenty of people thought he was cool. More than half of their viewers thought he was cool. It wasn't abnormal for anything to think he was cool. It was just slightly less common that someone he _liked_ thought he was cool. It was a very rare occasion when someone so, well, _cool_ thought the same about him.

          " _You're both amazing. Honestly, I thought about going to you guys first before just going to the library because you'll actually explain everything, you know?  Books have all the information, but even Lincoln can't understand half of it and he started his pre-med program last year. If any of us are going to understand it without help, it's him. But you guys use words that you don't need a doctorate to understand, and I think you can figure out why that would be the best option for a couple college students and a high school senior._ " Skye shook her head, her position shifting on the screen in the moments before she pulled a notebook and pen into her lap. " _I have a few basic questions, just to clarify some of those emails you sent me. Most of them are about voice and word choice - just things Trip wanted me to ask if I remembered. First thing: when our villain is talking about his prototype-_ "

          "A villain wouldn't call it a prototype. _Prototype_  implies that it's inept, incomplete, not ready. If you're threatening someone, you don't want to come across as if you don't know what your own invention is capable of." Leo shifted forward instinctively when he cut her off, shaking his head and feeling incredibly awkward when things fell quiet after his words. It was a simple enough observation - and it was relatively similar to how he felt growing up and being labeled a genius. If he wanted to _prove_ that he was a genius, he couldn't use _maybes_  and _hopefullys_  and _I thinks,_ he had to use absolute terms. And _prototype_  was not an absolute term. "What? That's a normal thing to know. It's practically the first thing to know about antagonistic psychology. Usually, they're the hero of their own story, and they're so assured by their motives that they're doing the right thing, that the _hero_  is the one in the wrong. Their language would reflect that and they might come across as cocky or arrogant. So a real villain wouldn't call it a prototype, even if it's their first draft, so to speak. They'd still call it a device, or give it a name as if it is the finished product." There was still no real response and he frowned while leaning back into the couch, fully aware that he was barely in view of the camera anymore by the time his back actually hit the cushions. "You both know I'm right, don't look at me like that."

          He could see Jemma moving, reaching out to fix the angle of the screen and the camera so that he could still be a part of the conversation. "Don't mind him, he watches too many movies."

          With a huff, the Scot sat up straight again and shook his head quickly. "Actually, that was about-"

          His sentence was cut off when Skye started speaking again - karma, he supposed - and started scribbling on the pad she had in front of her. " _Actually, that'll be really helpful. Let me just get some of this written down so I can give it to Trip, later, especially with the backstory we're giving our antagonist this season. See, his robotic assistant is actually a perfect replica of his wife, who died like twenty years ago because he couldn't save her. When she died, he gave up their son for adoption, and then he grew up to be this tech genius like his dad - the kid is the new guy on the team, the Leo character. Scott Watson is what we're going to end up calling him, I think._ "

          The engineer on the couch shifted excitedly in his seat, more than happy to get even a little bit of information about the show he was _definitely_  going to be watching when they posted the episodes online, and would maybe fund part of if it meant finding out more that much faster. Jemma, on the other hand, used her big brain to ruin his big moment. "Isn't Scott Watson the name of that killer in New Zealand?"

          " _Wait, seriously? We spent like two weeks trying to come up with this name! Scott - because we could call him Scottie because of Leo's Scottishness - and Watson - because you two are kind of like Sherlock and John. We didn't spend all that time brainstorming just to accidentally name our character after a serial killer._ "

          "Well, he wasn't a _serial killer_ , just a killer. Serial is three or more instances, Watson was just one instance of two people, so it wouldn't be considered anything like serial. He's not even a _mass_  murderer - which is four or more people in one instance - he's just... not a good person."

          It wasn't necessarily a _wrong_  way to put it, but it still didn't make Leo feel that much better about the new information. "Let's just rename the character? No offense, but I don't want to be associated with a killer - serial or otherwise. I like the Scott joke, though, it's clever and subtle if you don't know it's a reference to me. Maybe just change the last name?"

          All three of them fell quiet with a mutual nod, using a few minutes of their time to think. There was the sound of typing that must have come from research on the other side of the video chat, and both of the Brits in their apartment were on their phones to do the same thing. After some time, Leo spoke up again, his accented words stopping the sounds of both of the girls' fingers during their internet searches. "The character is based on me, right? And you want to do something subtle with the name so that it's not obvious it's me, but there's still a little joke for the people on the inside? Well, why not my mum's maiden name? We both changed our names to Fitz when she married my stepdad, but I was actually _born_ Leopold Kitsworth."

          There was barely a beat of silence before a squeak came over the connection, the sound of pen on paper following it while Skye wrote down the new information for her own reference. " _That's perfect. I'll have to run it by Trip to make sure it works with the flow of the rest of the dialogue, but that is a million times better than being associated with a killer - thank you, so much. You're both already being so much help and we haven't even gotten to the real questions. Now, back to my question about that robot replica._ "

* * *

 

          It took a few months of video chats and phone calls back and forth, involving any combination of the five people who were all technically a part of the third season of _Teen Agents Inc._ before the scripts were even partially finalized. Antoine Triplett, the show's main and only writer liked to talk to both Leo and Jemma about the technical terms involved in the plot and bounce a few questions off of the Scotsman for reference of how he should write the show's newest character. Lincoln was part of the process less, and most of his calls were more about help memorizing terms and information for his classes - Jemma's doctorates made her the best person to go to whenever he felt like anatomy was starting to bury him alive. But, even when they were practically ready to start filming, there were roles to fill that meant they couldn't proceed no matter how much they wanted to.

          " _We want to start filming this weekend before classes start getting crazy again, but that's impossible if we don't have a Scottie or someone to play our antagonist. Maybe we can ask one of the teachers here at the school to play our dark doctor, but that still leaves out a major role that we're introducing in the first scene of the new season._ " The frustration was clear in Skye's tone while she sat on her own couch on the screen of Leo's laptop, head in her hands. There had to be some kind of solution, and they had to come up with it fast so that things could get done instead of postponed because of real life difficulties. " _I even sat and watched through all of the audition tapes again last night, but none of them feel like Scottie. There's too much of you in him, Leo, no one else can capture the personality just right - at least, not enough that I would feel okay casting them for the part. Maybe we should just put it off for a while, until the end of the term, or something. By then, someone will have come along who can do it right, and we won't have so much trouble._ "

          Lincoln was the only other person visible on screen and his sigh made all of them deflate a bit more. " _No - because I'm transferring after this term, just a couple hours north so that Jemma doesn't have to struggle to explain things over the phone, remember? I won't be able to just pop over every afternoon for filming. It has to be in the next couple weeks, or we'll have to write Mitchell out almost completely so that it can get done._ "

          The words sank in and made Leo sit up a bit straighter, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Wait, this could actually work. It's only about an hour and a half to make the trip from here to there, right? At least, that's the time without any bad traffic. If you can't see anyone else doing the part, I can make that drive - I don't _have_ to be at work every day, and I have more than enough money saved up to stay in a cheap hotel for a few nights, maybe even a full two weeks if I can arrange it with one of our supervisors at the lab. I can do the role pretty easily seeing as it's basically just _me,_ I know all the lines because I helped with writing them, and if you really have your heart set on a team of American kids, my fake accent is pretty convincing, according to quite a few people. And, if you happen to find someone else who can do the role, I still think it would be cool to see behind the scenes _in person_  for a day or two. Whether I actually act for you or not, I'm still a crazy big fan of the show."

          It was easy to see when Skye started to grin, nodding even in the moments before Trip was heard off screen, voicing his own approval. " _Having the **actual** Scottie play Scottie would be amazing - and think of the increase in viewers both of our channels would get. It would be crazy cool, and you can even keep your accent if that's easier for you. Just as long as you can get the time off of work without, you know, losing your job, or anything._"

          Leo nodded his head excitedly, his enthusiasm only spurred on by his roommate's own happy laughter before she piped in. "We can both come down. I could maybe help with some of the camera work? Or even just snacks, if helping Lincoln review for his classes is also on the agenda at any point? I'm sure a bit of studying isn't impossible - there are plenty of scenes that Mitchell isn't in that involve just Scott and his father. There's no reason we can't find somewhere quiet to go over a few things when you're not needed."

          " _You know, Jem, not everything is about studying. But I **do** have a placement test next Friday that I kind of need to do really well on if I want to stay on track for my pre-med degree, so if we get through the majority of the Mitchell scenes before Sunday afternoon, maybe we can hide out in the library for a few hours and you can go over some stuff with me in person instead of just over our video calls._ "

          "Look at you two, getting all buddy-buddy so you can study-study." The Scot shook his head and nudged Jemma's shoulder with a wider smile of his own before relaxing into the cushions again. "But we will have to make sure we can get the time off - maybe we can keep in touch with texts and calls like we have been? Best case scenario, we can make a video on Wednesday explaining why we won't have anything new for a few weeks, just call this a secret project since it's not exactly super public yet, and then head down Thursday after we get off work at the lab. For now, go ahead and email me those final scripts so I can practice my American accent with those lines."

* * *

 

          _The couch on screen and the fact that both of them are seated means that this is another video that doesn't involve an actual experiment, though this is the first one in months that has been this way. The last video they did like this was when they went quiet for almost three weeks, and nothing has been said about that secret project since then. Hopefully, this video will change that, for all of their viewers' sakes. Leo seems to be practically shaking in his seat, smiling widely in a way that the people who subscribe to their channel rarely see, and Jemma looks like she's caught between wanting to laugh with him and groan at him for being so enthusiastic._

_"Okay, so we know you're all still curious about that project we were working on a while back, and let me be the first to say that it is **Kitsworth** the wait - and that pun will make sense to you soon." His accented words are punctuated with a giddy laugh while he shakes his head, pointing down in the video to indicate the description underneath. "In the box below is a link to where you can watch the first episode of Teen Agents Inc. season three. And, if I do say so myself, the new guy is pretty amazing."_

_His roommate's eyeroll is visible even to the viewers keeping their eyes focused on the Scotsman, and this time she does groan before shaking her head at the camera. "If you want to see our very own Leopold Fitz's acting debut, go ahead and just click on the link below, and maybe subscribe to their channel, too, to get updates about new episodes as soon as they're posted."_

_"Guys," Leo says, quickly trying to get in a comment in the time before most of the viewers will have clicked the link offered to them. "Skye said I'm amazing, and I need everyone to know to put that on my grave because it may or may not be the reason I'm going to die an early death. Now, go enjoy those first fifteen minutes of **awesome**  while we prepare next week's experiment for you guys."_

* * *

 

          Less than a year after the season and series finale of _Teen Agents Inc_. was posted to the channel, Leo and Jemma were settled on a different couch than their own, in the apartment across the hall, happily eating cheap Chinese food while their new neighbors did the same in different spots in the room. Skye was cross-legged on the floor with her laptop out in front of her so that she could dive into organizing her class schedule for the next term, reading out the titles of some of the courses so that she could get some feedback. "What about a psychology class, just to fill a couple elective credits? There aren't any other freshman level classes that sound interesting and, no offense, but I want to avoid science for my first year here. I got more than enough lectures about engineering and biology just filming that last season of _TAI_ , and most of that wasn't even scripted. Leo, has anyone ever told you that you _rant_ when you get even a little bit tipsy? I swear, I'm not letting you near any more alcohol until I actually need to know the information."

          The Scot frowned at her words, a piece of sweet and sour chicken falling from between his chopsticks and back into the paper container in his other hand. Maybe he did get a little bit excited when he had a few drinks in him, and he had been _extra_ excited because of the opportunity to work and act with people he was so happy just to _meet._ That didn't mean he wasn't allowed to have alcohol ever again. "Hey, you were the ones who brought me in on the project - you _asked_ for my extensive robotics and programming, I was just helping. While slightly inebriated. It might actually be good for you to take an entry level science class, even if it's just computers. Then you won't have to worry about my tipsy help anymore if you hate it so much." He made sure to keep his tone light so that it was clear he wasn't actually offended, shaking his head again with a faint smile.

          "I never said I _hate_ it, I'm just never giving you vodka again. As for filling up my schedule so that I can actually be considered a full-time student, I think I'm going to go with something easy for now - I did just _move_  and everything, and that's enough of an adjustment, to begin with, forget about a heavy workload."

          With a shake of her head, she glanced over when Lincoln settled into the big, cushy chair behind her with a smile of his own. "Or, take a science class. There are three of us who can help you if you get stuck with a concept - Leo and Jemma have doctorates that can help you with literally any subject you can't figure out, and I know... well, about half of what Jem knows if we're being generous. I'm basically just moral support."

          They all fell quiet for a long moment, quietly eating and getting lost in their own thoughts until Trip dropped into his spot on the other end of the couch. "Just take the intro computer science class with me - you did most of the research when it came to Daisy's tech skills, it should be cake for you. And, if there's anything we can't work out with mutual brainstorming, Leo knows all of it backward and forwards, so it's not like a grade-A tutor isn't right across the hall. Literally. We've been watching the science videos for years, more than long enough for us to know the kinds of grades you got while you went to school, man."

          "I'm more than willing to be of help," the engineer responded quickly with a nod, offering up a smile and setting his food down on the coffee table so that he could move to sit on the floor next to Skye and peer over at her computer screen. "Take the class, and if, for whatever reason, you don't like it the first few weeks, you can always drop it and switch to something else, or just be a part-time student for your first time. That's pretty normal, too."

          He was going to say more, _wanted_  to say more, but she reacted too soon, and his brain short-circuited. The feeling of her lips on his cheek, just the softest of short kisses, made him freeze, and he blinked in an attempt to clear his head in the moment before his own smile started to form. "Actually, you're pretty full of good ideas. Maybe I'll listen to you now, and then ask you about some nice restaurants in town for when I'm finally settled in with a job and a paycheck."


End file.
